Power and electricity
Power in Build and Conquer: what draws electricity, why an unpowered district fails silently, and how the coal plant and nuclear power plant split the.
Power runs everything: industry, refineries, research and commercial. Coal plants carry the early and mid game; the nuclear power plant is the late-game answer and comes from a quest. Spread generation so one missile cannot black out the city.
Power is the invisible system of Build and Conquer. Nothing on the HUD shouts when it fails — production simply slows, buildings look fine, and you lose money wondering why. Learning to think in power terms is what separates a city that scales from one that stalls.
What draws power
| Consumer | Weight |
|---|---|
| Refineries and steel works | Heavy — the backbone of your draw |
| Factories | Heavy when running, idle draw when not |
| Research offices | Steady, and worth prioritising |
| Commercial districts | Scales with the city |
| Housing | Light per building, heavy in aggregate |
Generation: the two eras
Coal era. The coal-fired plant is cheap and available early. It carries a growing city and it is what most players run until the late game.
Nuclear era. The nuclear power plant is unlocked by a quest — reach city level 4 and hold the capture point. It exists because a fully developed city's draw is enormous: at that stage, a wall of coal plants costs more than one nuclear build.
Habits that prevent blackouts
- Build generation ahead of demand. Add capacity when you plan a district, not after it browns out.
- Split the grid across buildings. Two plants that cover the same city survive a hit; one giant plant does not.
- Protect the plants. They are the highest-value missile target in your country, which is why air defence covers power before it covers anything else.
- Check power first when income falls. It is the most common silent failure in the game.
